Verizon has just announced a new Internet and Pay TV package that they are advertising as “The Package Built for Streaming” and for those who don’t need sports, it will be a great deal. New customers can get 50/50 Internet, FiOS TV Local package, HBO, Showtime, Netflix and pay $59.99 a month (tax and fees not included). The Netflix subscription is only for one year, but the rest of the Verizon package is locked in for two years at that price. Included with the local TV package is CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, WGN, WWOR, WLNY, WPIX, Telemundo, PBS and some other local channels based on where you live. Verizon says 61 channels in total are included, 14 of them in HD. The Netflix portion of the offer expires 1/19/15 and it takes 45 days after you are a Verizon customer to get your Netflix code.

For some who complain they don’t need so many channels, and don’t care about live sports programming, it’s hard to beat this deal. Verizon isn’t the only one to offer non-sports packages, my Mom recently removed all sports channels from her Cablevision package and saved $15 a month, but it wasn’t advertised to her and I had to tell her to ask. With Verizon’s new offering now being mainstream, it’s a clear sign that cable TV providers are now willing to unbundle certain types of content from their packages to try to have an offering suited for anyone thinking about getting rid of pay TV. This is the most change we have seen from the cable TV providers in a long time and it’s clear they are realizing they need to adapt and be flexible in today’s market where consumers have lots of other content options besides just cable TV.